ERIK SATIE

(1866 - 1925)

A French composer as eccentric in his way of life as in his music, Satie exercised considerable influence over some of his more distinguished contemporaries, including Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc, particularly through his tendency towards extreme simplicity. A number of his compositions have become very familiar to many, largely through their use in other contexts.

Stage Works

Best known among the various stage works of Satie is his collaboration with Jean Cocteau, Parade, described as a ballet réaliste and first performed in Paris in 1917. This was followed by the ballet Mercure, a collaboration with Picasso that presents different aspects of the god, and the Dadaist ballet Relâche (‘Closure’), which served to alienate, by its perceived vulgarity, still more of his earlier supporters.

Piano Music

It is principally the piano pieces by Satie that have won popularity. Among these, many with characteristically eccentric titles, are the Gymnopédies, the Gnossiennes and the three Sarabandes.